Beccles football team will be the bees’ knees

A young football team in Suffolk thinks they will be the bees’ knees after UK Power Networks donated £250 for new kit.

The Bees Under 9 team are part of Beccles Town Football Club and when they needed a new strip, coach Michael Pritchard applied for a Team Sport Award from his employers UK Power Networks. Michael is a distribution planning engineer based in Trowse, near Norwich, and coaches the Bees Under 9s, which includes his son Daniel.

Michael said everyone is delighted that they can now buy new kit ready for the next season as the boys have grown out of their last one. He said: “I think it is a fantastic staff incentive, it really does help those employees who use their free time to benefit others in their local community.”

The club is also raising money towards a new artificial pitch so that they can carry on playing during the winter and not cancel due to waterlogged pitches.

The Team Sport Awards scheme encourages staff to volunteer in the community and is aimed at promoting healthy living, teamwork and the development of sporting opportunities.

Hundreds of community and sports groups have benefited from grants since the scheme was set up. Last year £18,000 was donated to sporting groups connected to UK Power Networks staff.